Who saw this coming? Anyone? Anyone?

Struggling Michigan State went into Happy Valley as a two-touchdown underdog to No. 8-ranked Penn State, but the Spartans found a way to win late, coming away with a 21-17 win.

It was a huge win for the Spartans, certainly their biggest of the year. It also raised their record to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten East, keeping some hopes alive in the conference race, something that seemed so out of reach a few days ago.

Here’s what I liked — and what I didn’t like — with Michigan State’s win over Penn State:

What I liked

Spartans never panicked down the stretch

Michigan State trailed 17-14 with 1:10 left in the fourth quarter and all looked lost. But then MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke took over, completing 5 of 8 passes on the final drive and finding Felton Davis for 25 yards and a score with 19 seconds left to win the game. It said a lot about Lewerke — and the entire offense, really — because this hasn’t been the most dynamic of offenses this season. But Lewerke kept his cool to make it happen, and that’s a wonderful thing.

Time of possession played a huge role

Michigan State ran 89 plays to Penn State’s 64 and that was one of the key reasons why this game played out the way it did. The 9-minute edge in time of possession meant Michigan State kept Trace McSorley and his group off the field. Michigan State got an extra minute at the end, and that final drive was the bonus that they needed.

Defense came up big, especially on third downs

Penn State converted only 3 of 14 third-down attempts, and failed to convert on a fourth-down try, as well. This has been something of an issue all season for Penn State, which ranked 56th out of 129 schools coming into the game by converting 41 percent of their third-down tries. But this was even far better for the Spartans, holding them to 21 percent and keeping the game low-scoring and tight. Penn State scored only 17 points, and you have to go back 28 games since the last time that happened (Michigan, September 2016). Bravo, Spartans defense.

What I didn’t like

Miles Sanders found yards too easily

Penn State running back Miles Sanders rushed for 162 yards on just 17 carries, which was too much, too easy. That’s too much for anybody, but when you’re the No. 1 rushing defense in the country like Michigan State is, that was a bad day overall.

Offense still struggling on third down

It’s hard to get too critical after a huge road win like this, but the Spartans’ third-down numbers were pretty staggering, even slightly worse that Penn State’s. The Spartans converted only 5 of 20 third downs, which has been too much of a problem this season. They’ll have to be better with that next week against Michigan.